āļø Good morning. Happy Thursday! Today is December 15, 2022 and in todayās newsletter we are focusing on issues that women face as they navigate the āmiddle yearsā. Age may be ājust a numberā but the more we know about what goes on, the more the middle decades can be positive, beneficial, and a source of power.
āļø Quote of the Day: āAs womenā¦we’re trying to do so much. It’s okay to say to other women, ‘How do you do this?’ Because I honestly don’t know. The more we are honest, the more you realize we’re all just trying to figure this out.ā Amanda de Cadenet, photographer
š A Dose of Humor: Question: Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? Answer: Only if you aim it well enough.
Digestive Health
My 5 Favorite Tips For Increasing Fiber
The USDA recommends that adult women get 25 grams of fiber per day up to age 50 and 21 grams per day beyond age 50. (For men thatās 38 grams per day up to age 50 and 30 grams per day beyond age 50.) Yet, according to Harvard Health, the amount consumed on average by American adults is 10-15 grams per day. Yikes!
I did know that fiber from whole food sources is better than fiber supplements. But that still leaves the question – what can I do to improve my fiber consumption?
Instead of selecting one article to share today, I decided to share my 5 favorite tips. If youāre looking for additional ways to increase your fiber, each article has several tips that didnāt make it to my top five list.
#1 Include veggies in meals, and eat them first! Unless Iām eating my favorite dinner salad concoction, I have a tendency to avoid veggies.
Frequently, especially when Iām on a deadline, I find myself eating while working. And while Iām not doing it on purpose, I generally get distracted back to working and find that I end up leaving most of my vegetables on my plate rather than eating them. (Tip from Healthline)
Bonus tip from me: Iāve discovered that Iām not a fan of textureless vegetables. I end up eating more fresh, crunchy vegetables than ones that have been cooked into mushy submission. I have made a habit of keeping fresh, cleaned carrots for easy eating. As a bonus, many fresh vegetables retain more of their nutrients than cooked vegetables.
#2 – Check nutrition fact labels on packaged foods. Try to get 5 grams or more of fiber per serving. Also, if youāre checking the nutritional labels, itās easier to make healthier choices. I compared loaves of sandwich bread readily available at Walmart. I found that within the same price point (I was looking at in the $2-3 range in my location) for comparably marketed āwheat breadā that one loaf was giving āless than 1 gramā of fiber per slice and another was providing 4 grams of fiber per slice. (Tip from Family Doctor)
#3 – Replace your fruit juices with whole fruit.Ā This one is easy for me, since Iām not much of a juice/beverage drinker. Not only does eating the whole fruit add fiber to your diet, it also helps to reduce the concentration of sugar which can help to balance your blood sugar. Even natural sources of sugar can cause blood sugar spikes! (Tip fromĀ VeryWellFit)
#4 Eat foods high in soluble fiber, like avocado. (List of 20 Foods High In Soluble Fiber from Healthline)
#5 – Add Chia to your food. Chia seeds are a high fiber food with 1 ounce adding almost 10 grams of fiber. (Tip from EverydayHealth)
Bonus tip from me:Ā Looking for a good way to eat Chia seeds? Overnight Oats is a great way to add some fiber while streamlining a busy morning.
Overnight Oats Base
Approximately Ā½ c. liquid + Ā½ c. rolled oats (not instant) + Ā¾ tbsp Chia seeds. You can mix up your liquids. Dairy milk, non-dairy milk, fruit juice.
Personally, Iām partial to a non-dairy almond-coconut milk blend. (You can adjust the formula by adding more or less of any of the ingredients to suit your particular preferences. More chia seeds will create a thicker, more-pudding like texture.)
Add Ins
Fresh or frozen fruit
Nut butter (My current favorite is almond butter.)
Chocolate (chocolate chips, carob chips, chocolate milk, cacao nibs, nutella, etc.)
Chopped dates, dried apricots or other dried fruits
Shredded coconut
Chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, etc.) Add as a garnish if you want them more crunchy or throw them in at the beginning for a softer texture.
Spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg can add a bit of pizazz as well.
To make your overnight oats, mix your milk and your Chia seeds. I stir them together pretty well, since the Chia seeds have a bit of a tendency to clump together in the milk. Then I add in the oats and stir thoroughly. Layer your oat mixture with your add-ins as creatively or as simply as you want.
When you are done cover your container with a lid or with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (The more time itās refrigerated, the more the oats will absorb the liquid. You can adjust the amount of liquids and the amount of refrigeration to get your preferred consistency.)
Interested in learning more about fiber?
Did you know that there are different types of fiber? That isnāt something that I spent much time thinking about. I vaguely recall learning something about soluble fiber and insoluble fiber years ago in a cooking and nutrition class, but I havenāt thought about that in years. But in reviewing articles for todayās Digestive Health category, I ran across an article that reminded me that not all fiber is created equal after all.
A quick refresher for those of you who are like me.
Fiber is a sub-group of carbohydrates that the human body lacks the enzymes to digest. Without those enzymes to break them down, this group of carbohydrates travels through the digestive system with little change.
The fiber that I remember from my nutrition class is the soluble vs. insoluble group. This refers to the ability of the fiber to dissolve in water. Soluble fiber blends with the water in your digestive system creating a gel-like substance that has various metabolic benefits. Insoluble fiber is believed to speed the passage of food and waste through your gut.
Fiber also can be grouped by its fermentability. Fermentable fiber is beneficial in maintaining the āgoodā bacteria that keep the human gut productive and healthy.
If youāre interested in learning more about the different types of fiber and how they help the body, click here.
Heart Health
Heart Attacks Striking Younger Women
Itās easy to think about heart attacks as a āguy thingā but heart disease is actually the leading cause of death for both men and women according to Hopkins Medicine.
Women, however, are more likely to have less recognizable symptoms of a heart attack including pain or discomfort in the upper body (such as the back, neck, jaw, arms, or stomach), cold sweats, and fatigue.
This article explains common risk factors for women and includes several tips on how to prevent an early heart attack.
I found it interesting that even with adequate exercise, a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of dying from heart disease or other medical problems. I think I might need to move around a lot more often!
To read the whole article, click here.
Skin, Bones, Muscles, & Joints
Top 6 Benefits of Taking Collagen Supplements
Collagen is a key component in bones, skin, muscles, and other body parts. People often take collagen supplement to support skin health, among other things, but does it really help?
Here are 6 science-backed health benefits of taking collagen.
To read the full article, click here.
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Hey, this is Stephanie. Iām one of the editors that researches and curates TheTinySpoonCo content.
Iām not a beauty-and-fashion connoisseur. Donāt get me wrong – I love me a good pair (or ten) of shoes. I know the power of a good makeup brush. I am far more likely to invest in the perfect pair of jeans than a killer dress.
Regardless of the type of product, I will spend money on a product that produces the outcome Iām looking for, but thatās exactly it. Iām looking for an outcome, not just using a product because I saw it in a magazine, or because a celebrity uses it, or because the packaging is pretty. Although, come to think about it, almost all of my āregretā purchases came in very pretty packaging.
Generally, Iām pretty pragmatic about the outcomes Iām looking for. Iām not looking for a pair of shoes that will make my legs look miles long. Iām realistic. Iām 5ā 0ā. Thatās not going to happen even if that was the aesthetic I wanted.
I ran across the idea of collagen several years ago. It didnāt catch my attention. I have āgood skinā, according to the various aestheticians and makeup artists Iāve had in my professional and social circles.
But in the last several months, Iāve been burning the candle at all the ends between multiple client projects, a serious, ongoing family health issues, and well, just life. TheTinySpoonCo likes to test products they promote, so when collagen was being reviewed, I got the opportunity to try it out.
Iām usually a researcher. What is this stuff? What is it supposed to do? How long should it take? But this time, I had too many other things going on. I donāt think I even googled what exactly collagen was supposed to do. What I knew is that I was supposed to dump one packet of powder into 8 ounces of water and drink it once a day.
I did it. I missed a packet on the second day. New habit. Other than that, I finished the box of fifteen packets as I was supposed to take them (and Iāve started on the next box of packets.)
I decided that the flavor of this particular product wasnāt my personal favorite. So I started mixing the powder into less water and chugging it and then using the rest of the 8 ounces to wash it down with. It isnāt a bad flavor, Iām just not much of a flavored drinks kinda person. Unless itās coffee – daily. Or Dr. Pepper – occasionally.
Whatās interesting is what else was happening at the time I did this test.
#1 – I was just finishing an intense, months-long client project that had me working lots of extra hours and sleeping far fewer hours than is healthy.
#2 – Covid laid my household flat.
#3 – Iām juggling several extra projects at the moment and trying to find free moments to get them wrapped up.
#4 – I ended up making an unscheduled two week visit to help my mother who is going through chemo and to give my dad a break from some of the caretaking. Between spending as much time as I could visiting with mom, helping dad, and keeping up with work projects, I averaged 5 hours of sleep a night for about 2 weeks.
Does this collagen do anything? Simple answer? Yes.
I can see the difference. My mom can see the difference.
Toward the end of the visit home, my mom and I were at the hospital, waiting on a procedure, and she asked, āYour skin looks good. What are you doing? I know it isnāt āgetting your beauty rest!ā That was the first time Iād thought about it in two weeks. Iād planned to take notes and pictures of what was happening, but that hadnāt happened in the middle of everything else.
When I got home, I looked in the mirror. She was right. My skin is looking better, healthier, plumper, and way less droopy. And thatās with nearly two weeks of skipping my skincare routine and very little skin care at all. My skin hasnāt looked this good with this little effort in more than ten years!
On top of that, I do notice that my joints have less tendency to be stiff when Iāve been sitting for a long time, or after Iāve slept in on the rare occasion. Right now, that isnāt as obvious for me as the very visible difference in my skin, but itās actually the benefit I appreciate the most. Iām glad my skin looks great, but I love not being sore and stiff even more.
At this point, I havenāt particularly noticed any difference for my hair or nails.
I have plans to continue testing the collagen to see how these results continue, but Iāve already bought a box to share with my dad who has difficulties with joint pain. Iāll write an update in the future as I learn more.
Here’s a link to the Collagen I’m trying.
Mental Wellness
6 Ways to Use Anxiety as A Source for Growth
When I was working on this newsletter, I was reminded of an article I read, probably for a grad school counseling or psychology course. The article stated that middle aged women were the most stressed group.
Unfortunately, I couldnāt track that old article down, but I did run across a 2014 study done by the British government that said that while most people are generally content with their lives, regardless of their age level, that those in āmiddle age yearsā of 45-59 seem to be the least happy and they noted a sharp increase in midlife anxiety. (If youāre interested, you can find information for that study here. If youāre into that kind of thing, itās an interesting read.)
Unlike the article I read for that grad school class, I donāt just factually understand it. Now, I really get it!
If you look at it, anxiety and stress have a number of sources in middle-aged and older women, and not all of them are obvious.
Physical issues create a stack of problems. Perimenopause and menopause create hormonal shifts that can contribute to or even cause stress and anxiety. Declining levels of certain hormones can interfere with sleep and reduce energy levels. Health and pain issues can add to the difficulties.
On top of this, most middle aged women are dealing with family issues which can be as wide ranging as raising children, helping aging parents, coping with death, divorce, empty nest syndrome, and shifting personal identities, to name just a few.
To add insult to injury, we live in a youth-obsessed culture that doesnāt tend to be kind to aging women. The pressure to mask the signs of aging adds its own anxiety. Decisions to prioritize family life may leave you in a professional corner, or the decision to prioritize your professional career may have shifted your family dynamic.
If a person looks at the experiences of aging women, itās very easy to see many reasons why we are chronically stressed and anxious. What might not be quite so easy to see is the opportunity.
What happens if we stop suppressing our anxiety? What if we look at anxiety as an indicator? When weāre driving a car, weāre accustomed to looking down at the dash for information – how fast are we driving, how full is the gas tank, is the tire pressure low, and so forth. When weāre familiar with the car that weāre driving, we generally use those indicators as information to help us make informed decisions. āHmmm, Iāve got a quarter tank of gas, so I think Iāll stop at the gas station before I go home.ā
What if we looked at anxiety in the same way? What if that anxiety feeling merely indicates that something needs attention? I donāt know about you, but for me, merely asking that question reduces some of the tension in my shoulders.
I wish Iād read Sabrina Romanoffās article in Psychology Today years ago. She walks us through 6 steps to rewire the interpretations we link to our anxiety indicators. When we learn how to more correctly interpret our anxiety signals, we can then redirect that energy into more comfortably navigating the choices in our daily lives.
To read her 6 simple (but not always intuitive) ways to use anxiety as fuel for growth,Ā click here.
(Interested in more on this topic? Harvard Business Review has a fascinating article on the Anxiety-Distraction Feedback Loop and for those who are more interested in the how Mindful.org has a very useful article on Unwinding Your Anxiety Habit Loop.)
To Your Health,
TheTinySpoonCo Content Team
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